Cowgirls and Pirates
by CheddarBomb
Summary: Jack and Will get thrown forward into the 21st century and wind up on a country farm with two rough'n'tough cowgirls. Finished.
1. Prologue ChapterThe Storm

**Disclaimer: I don't own any thing except the plot, the unfamiliar characters, yada, yada, yada…**

**A/N: Hey people! This is my first ever Fan Fic. Readers, reviews are not required, but they will help get c****hapters posted quicker.**

**Chapter 1, The Storm**

Lightening split the sky; thunder shook the air; rain poured down in never-ending sheets. Hailstones the size of cannonballs ripped the tossing sails of the Black Pearl. Up on the deck, her crew was scurrying wildly to subdue the ropes that were whirling uncontrollably. Jack Sparrow wrenched the wheel hard to avoid a giant swell on the starboard side. He cursed under his breath. Normally, he would have loved a challenge, but this baby had more zest to it than a normal storm. He was used to the ten and twenty foot swells that he and his ship had braved back a year ago on their way to Isle de Muerta, not the forty foot heathens he faced now. His crew was of the same point of view. Will Turner and the rest of the men worked feverishly just to stay on their feet, much less keep the Pearl afloat. Will had never been more wet, cold, or tired in his entire life. He staggered up the stairs to the upper deck, holding onto the railing with white knuckles. Upon reaching the top, he struggled towards Jack.

"Jack! We have to stop!" Will screamed. "She can't take this any more." Even though Will was only three feet away and screaming at the top of his lungs, Jack could barely hear him over the roar of the sea. He opened his mouth to reply and got a face full of seawater as a monster wave came crashing down on them. The force of the wave knocked both men off their feet. When it passed Jack clawed his way back up into a standing position.

"Tell the men to raise the sails! Curse this damn storm!" He yelled back at Will, pushing his sopping hair out of his face. Will turned to go back down the stairs. Before he could reach them, however, a bolt of lightening tore through the sky and struck the Pearl's main mast.

**BOOMB!!!!!!**

There was a sound like a cannon, indeed much louder than a cannon, followed by deafening CRACK, and suddenly a ball of flame erupted at the top of the ship.

"BLOODY ELL!" screamed Jack. The mast toppled, setting more sails alight as it fell. It plunged into the sea and the flames vanished. The vast torrents of rain put out the fire on the other sails, but the damage had already been done. Without the sails to balance them, the ship would capsize!

"Drop all port and starboard anchors!" hollered Jack. "We can't outrun it, so we'll have to sit it out." Inwardly he prayed that his plan would work. 'His _last _plan,' he admitted to himself. He couldn't think of any others. There was a wild scurry to obey orders, for the crew knew that this just might be their last chance to subdue the ship. The anchors plunged into the water, two on each side. For a moment, it seemed as if it would work…the ropes held and the weight of the anchors kept the ship fairly steady. Will breathed a sigh of relief, as did Jack and the rest of the crew. He moved towards a loose rope and began lashing it to the railing. Suddenly the sea was illuminated and an ear-throbbing roar echoed around them. Lightening struck the hull on the side of the ship and the ropes on the port anchors snapped, pitching the ship onto it's side. Before he could react, Will felt himself fly over the side of the ship. He hit the water headfirst and submerged. When he came back up to the surface, his vision was blurred and he coughed violently. He could faintly see the Black Pearl, blazing with fire, sinking into the ocean. He grabbed wildly at a cargo barrel dancing on the water in front of him, and, latching onto it, he watched as the ship slowly sank into Davy Jones Locker. After the last flame had been extinguished, he gave in to the blackness and fainted.


	2. What the Hell

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the plot, the farm, the unfamiliar characters, yada, yada...

A/N: This chapter's a lot longer than the first. As usual, reviews not required, but would definitely help

speed up the process.

A/N: Flashbacks are indicated with a .

A/N: Let me just say how excited I was to get that first review. My FIRST EVER REVIEW!!! Thanks!

Chapter 2, "What the 'Ell?!?"

The first thing Jack noticed when he awoke was that he was face down in stagnant water on the edge of a bank, and his right side hurt like hellfire, probably because he was lying on a………………….. "OOOOOWWWWWwwwww!! DAMN CYPRUS ROOT!" Jack got up and violently shook his hair out of his face, the movement causing him to lose his balance. He tumbled back down into the muddy water. He shouldn't have had so much rum yesterday. 'Wait a minute…muddy??' Jack thought. 'The Caribbean ain't muddy! And it don't have Cyprus trees either.' He looked around and gazed out over a 600-acre lake. Definitely not the Caribbean. Nothing was familiar about this place. No distant islands, no Tortuga, no ships, no Pearl…..

No Pearl? (gasp!)

"Where's me Pearl? WHERE'S ME BLACK PEARL??"

Slowly the memory came back to him.

Jack, standing at the wheel…

Mast and sails blazing with fire…

Anchors snapping…Ship capsizing…

"Abandon ship, men, Abandon ship…"

Too late…Way too late…

Swim like hell, stay afloat…

Pearl sinking…'Who's that…'

'William…'

'WILLIAM…'

"Will?" Jack looked around some more, and realized for the first time that he was completely alone. Uneasiness started to creep its way into the usually flamboyant captain, and he didn't like it one bit. Jack wasn't used to not being in control of every situation. Sighing, he got up and shook out his hair (much more carefully this time) and walked up the bank. He reached the top and took a left down a narrow dirt road. He had barely gone ten yards when he heard a growling sound behind him. He twisted around and looked. "What the 'ell….AAARRGGGHHH!" Jack turned tail and ran as fast as he could. Right behind him came the biggest damn alligator anyone'd ever seen….and boy, was he ticked. Jack ran as fast as he could, given his lizard-like style of running, but the thing was still catching up. Jack spotted a big tree on his right and immediately tore straight up it. Panting, he looked down on the gator, who had now settled himself at the base of the tree, eyeing the figure in the branches with a hungry gleam. "Whew!" Jack exclaimed. 'At least I'm out of reach,' he thought as he scratched his arm. He started itching on his leg, so he scratched it too. Then it started on his back and chest. Next his face turned red. Then it dawned on him. "SHIT" he yelled in frustration. As if being stranded in gosh-knows-where, alone, and treed by an alligator wasn't bad enough, the tree he was sitting in was slam covered in poison ivy!!!

Will walked up the dirt road he'd found. He was moving slowly, partly because he was tired and also because he was thinking. When he'd woken up on the edge of some big lake, he'd wondered about the crew, the Pearl, and where on earth he was. Most of all he'd wondered if Jack had managed to make it. He couldn't even begin to imagine what it would be like if the famous Captain Jack Sparrow weren't around to annoy everyone. In the end he'd decided that the only logical thing that could have happened was that he had washed up on some uncharted island after the storm. It was unlike any other island he had ever seen. Humid, marshy land, sweet-smelling trees almost as tall as the Governor's mansion, and strange, unusual plants. It was definitely not what you'd find in the Caribbean. Will shook his head in confusion as he ambled along. He was so engrossed in thought that he didn't see the big log ahead of him…he tripped right over the end of it.

"Damn log…I swear…." Suddenly another voice rang out.

"SHUT UP WILL! RUN!" Will heard, but he almost didn't believe.

"Jack??"

"YE' STUPID WHELP! GET OFF OF IT! RUN!"

"Where are you? Get off of what?"

"THE ALLIGATOR, YE' BLIND IDIOT!"

"What the hell? _Alligator??! SHHIIIITTT!!!" _Will screamed and dashed towards the very tree Jack was sitting in, the gator biting at his heels.

"NO, WILL, NOT THIS TREE!!!!!!! NOTT THIS TR……."

But Will didn't pay attention and bounded straight up into the branches beside the Captain.

"Bastard!" Will hollered at the alligator. "Why not this tree, Jack?" he asked as he scratched his leg.

"That's _Captain_ to you, thanks, and no reason at all 'cept for it's chock full of poison ivy!!" Jack replied casually.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU SAY?!????!?!?!"

About two hours later, both Jack and Will were cramped, cold, tired, itching, hungry, thirsty, wet, dirty, and just a little less than polite to each other. It was getting dark, and the alligator still hadn't given up his vigil over the two captives in the tree. Every once in a while, he would snap his jaws and make Will and Jack curse out of fright. It wouldn't have been so bad if Jack had had his pistil, but he had lost it somewhere, and now the two men were in a heated argument over the subject.

"Damn it, Jack, why'd you have to go and lose your pistil?"

"You try keeping up with yer pistil all through a storm like that!"

"You at least could have kept up with your cutlass!"

"Well, _whelp, _I notice you don't have yer sword either!!"

"It came out when I fell overboard!"  
"AHA! So little Mr. Will Know-It-All Whelp Turner admits he can't keep up with his weapons, either!"

"SHUT UP JACK! DAMN IT, I SWEAR IF WE GET OUT OF THIS TREE I'M GOING TO….."

"Shut yer trap, Will, me thinks I hear something!"

The two men quit arguing and listened hard. There was a muffled putting sound coming from the road. As they watched, two girls came riding around a curve on something that looked suspiciously like a small horseless carriage. It was shiny and had the words "Kawasaki 176" written on it.

"What the hell!" breathed both Jack and Will.

They continued to watch as the girls drew closer. Suddenly the girls stopped as they saw the alligator. Will watched as they looked at it. The smaller of the two girls followed the animal's gaze up into the tree and she started. She poked the other girl on the shoulder and pointed. They both looked straight at Jack and Will.

"WHAT THE 'ELL!!!!" the girls shouted.


	3. Ye' Sure Yer a Lass?

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for the plot, the unfamiliar characters, yada, yada, yada….**

**A/N: Reviews not required, but they sure help!**

**A/N: Just a quick note to my reviewer "Scarlett:" I absolutely _love_ bluegrass…especially the stuff they play on Solid Gold Sat. Night on the radio…just thought you might be interested to know. And your guess is very close…this is set in southwest Mississippi.**

**Chapter three, "Ye' Sure Yer A Lass?"**

"Crap…what a horrible fishing trip," said Morgan.

"Aye," grumbled Jade. "Ye'd think after spending _eight_ hours out in the middle of that lake that we'd catch at least _one _bass or catfish or white perch, but nooooooo. All we manage to grace ourselves with is a big old mess of them damn Jack Grennar! An' that blasted storm didn't help much, either."

Morgan shook her head in disgust. When she had gotten up that morning, the wind had been blowing gently, the sun was shining, and the temperature measured 85 degrees Fahrenheit…perfect conditions for a blowout fishing extravaganza. She had driven out to the lake to check the water level, and finding it crystal clear and the ideal height, immediately went home to phone her best friend, Jade, and ask her to come fishing. Jade had responded with an enthusiastic, "See you in forty minutes!!" and less than an hour later, the two buddies were out in the middle of the lake in a fourteen foot boat, equipped with tackle boxes, fishing poles, stringers, an ice chest, and two extra bags of Double-blade Colorado spinner baits ("Just in case they ain't hungry for worms!" Morgan had exclaimed). Both had been looking forward to coming home with a nice suntan and a whole stringer full of fish, but the weather had different plans. About two hours before, the sky had suddenly grown dark, and they had been hit by a storm. Jade frankly wondered how they hadn't managed to capsize (not that she was complaining, of course!)…the storm had been one of the worst all spring. They had gotten soaked, and had also lost their tackle boxes and ice chest. And to top it off, they hadn't caught a single fish that was worthy of the hook used to catch it. All in all, Jade and Morgan weren't in the best of moods. There was only one thing that Morgan could think of to do.

"Say, Jade, how's about going home, commandeering some food, and watching Pirates of the Caribbean?"

Jade immediately brightened.

"Agreed. Can we commandeer some rum, too?" "Why the hell not. Let's go."

The two girls were completely obsessed with the movie…they used dialogue from it in their everyday conversations, and they could repeat the script verbatim backwards and forwards. They had given each other pirate nicknames, had pirate posters in their rooms, and had even gone so far as to name their vehicles after certain ships. They dressed like pirates, talked like pirates; hell, they even _looked_ somewhat like pirates! The only thing that differed about their total obsession was that Jade liked Jack Sparrow, and Morgan liked Will Turner. Both, however, despised Elizabeth, a fact that neither one made any effort to conceal. Any time they watched the movie, it put them in a good mood, and at the present, a good mood was exactly what they needed.

"Come on, Morgan, let's get outta here."

"Sure thing…just let me tie down this rod…….OK, weigh anchor."

"Hoist the sails!" Jade joked as she cranked up the four-wheeler. They set off down a long, narrow dirt road, still laughing and talking about pirates. They had driven about a quarter of a mile when they rounded a corner and suddenly Jade cut the gas and stopped.

"Why're you stopping?" asked Morgan curiously.

"There's a big old log across the road."

Morgan peered around Jade to look at it and let out a groan.

"That's an alligator, not a log! How the hell are we supposed to get past the thing? I didn't bring a firearm."

"Not to worry Morgan, I have my knife…"

"You are not seriously thinking about killing it with your knife???"

"Naw, I wasn't. I was actually thinking about wrestling it first!" Jade replied with a mischievous grin.

Morgan groaned again. She looked back at the alligator and noticed it hadn't even acknowledged them. In fact, it was looking up the tree! Now how weird is that?? She followed its gaze up into the branches and gasped.

"Jade!! JADE!! Look!" She pointed at a spot in the tree. Jade squinted, then her jaw dropped open.

"It can't be…NO BLOODY WAY!!"

"That is _N..N..NOT_ who I th..th..think it is, is it??" stammered Morgan.

"Somebody slap me!"

"Will do so gladly, luv, as soon as you could possibly get that thing out of here and get us down!" said a rough, slightly slurred voice. Jade straightened and squinted harder.

"OH MY GOSH! It _is_ him! How the bloody hell did he here?!?!?!"

Another voice came from behind the tree trunk, and at this Morgan was convinced she had finally lost it.

"Well, we don't rightly know the answer to that one, but it would be nice to get out of this tree!" said the new voice. It sounded a bit annoyed.

"Will? Jack?" asked Jade and Morgan in bewilderment.

"Aye, that be us, luv. How'd ye know who we were? Don't recall telling ya'," said Jack.

By now Jade had partial control of herself, and was regaining her wit. She didn't know how they had gotten here, but now that she was over the initial shock, she was beginning to get a good feeling about this. She decided to have some fun.

"Well, who hasn't heard of the infamous Captain Jack Sparrow?" she asked coyly while trying not to laugh. She had to bite hard on her lip when she saw Jack flush with pride.

"Yes, yes, Jack, plenty of time for that later," said Will. "Umm, Miss, you couldn't by any chance hurry up and take care of that thing?" He nodded pointedly down at the alligator, who by now was glaring at the new intruders.

"Wha……oh! Oh, yeah, sure," said Jade. She jumped off the four-wheeler and got out her knife. Morgan groaned for the third time and shook her head.

"Don't let it bite off your head. Remember Jade, any man who falls behind is left behind!" Jack gave Morgan a quizzical look when she said this.

" 'Ow do you know about the Code?" he asked curiously.

"No matter right now," said Jade. She was excited at the prospect of showing off in front of Jack. She got out her other knife, and held them in front of her.

"Now, damn it, bring it on!" she yelled at the gator, and without warning, sprinted right at it. Jack, Will, and Morgan watched as she jumped and did a somersault in the air. She came down directly on its back, and they flinched at the sound it made. Nobody watched the next few minutes….all they knew was that Jade was cussing that alligator with every word in the book and then some, and that gator was doing his best to cuss her back. Even Jack was surprised at the words she used. Morgan peeked through her fingers and saw a big cloud of dirt. Clods of mud were flying everywhere. The gator was in a fury, snapping, twisting, and thrashing, and Jade was right there with him, just as mad as he. They did a particularly wild thrash and tumbled right off into the water. Water and mud went in all directions. Then the gator went into a death roll, and it seemed for a minute like he had won. However, all that did was make Jade even madder.

"GO TO HELL, BASTARD!!!!" she screamed, and when it rolled again, she jumped out of the way and plunged both knives straight into the top of it's head. The alligator roared, and blood started streaming; it twitched, then quit moving all together.

Jade got up off of it. She was breathing hard, and was muddy and sopping wet. Her lip was cut; scratches covered her head to toe, but she was grinning triumphantly and had a sparkle in her eyes. She retrieved her knives from the animal's head wiped them clean.

"S' OK now…you can come down," she called to Will and Jack. They gingerly came down out of the tree, trying their best not to touch any more poison ivy. When they got back on the ground, Will was weaving just as bad as Jack, but his voice ("Thankfully," thought Morgan) was the same smooth, soft voice she remembered from the movie.

"Thanks for helping get us down from there," said Will gratefully. His mood was much improved now that the alligator was no longer stalking them.

Jade replied casually, "Oh, it was nothing. Glad to do it." Morgan looked at her like she was crazy, then burst out laughing. Jack swaggered up to Jade. He peered at her closely.

"Ye' sure yer a lass?? Ye' don't fight like one, and ye' sure as 'ell don't talk like one. I even picked up a few new words!"

Jade, Morgan, and Will all laughed at that.

"Aye, Jack, I'm a lass" she replied, chuckling. "My name's Jade, as you know, and this is Morgan."

"Will Turner, and this is, as you know, Jack Sparrow."

"Captain, _Captain, _Jack Sparrow," corrected Jack.

"Nice to meet ya'. I take it you don't have a place to stay, do you?" asked Morgan.

"Nope, we don't even know how we got here," Will confirmed.

Jade asked "Well, why don't y'all come stay with us for a while?"

Jack brightened. "Ye' don' mind?"

"Not at all," assured Morgan.

Will and Jack smiled at them.   
  
"Thank you, we will."

For those of you that don't know, "Jack Grennar" is the popular nickname of a common trash fish found in most southern lakes, streams, and ponds.


	4. Back at the House

Disclaimer: I don't own anything……and I'm not gonna do this again, because it's pointless when you have the first three already! So this is the last disclaimer.

A/N: So sorry for the delay…have plenty of excuses, though (you've heard that before!). I was at a week long piano camp and have been getting ready for back-to-back 4-H horse shows, so….forgive me??? Tanx.

A/N: Guys, am I getting Jack's character right? I'm trying real hard, but he's one of those characters that goes in every direction at once, if you know what I mean. Let me know if you have suggestions.

And finally, the moment you've all been waiting for………………………

Chapter 4, A Swashbuckling Day

"Sooo, Jade…now that you've kindly offered us a place to stay, how's about telling us how we're going to get there," asked Jack as he cautiously stepped way around the dead alligator; he strolled up to Jade, who was now rearranging the fishing poles and junk on the four-wheeler.

"Aye, I sure could. We're gonna ride the four-wheeler back. It's only about a mile or so."

Will walked towards her from the other side and eyed the ATV suspiciously. "And what exactly is a four-wheeler? It looks like a small carriage, only with no top and no horses. How does is move without horses? I don't see any sails, so it doesn't move by wind, and nobody pushes it, so how does it work?" he gushed.

Morgan laughed.

"Easy there buddy." She slung her arm over his shoulder and used it as a prop. "It runs with a motor."

"A motor?" inquired Will quizzically. "What's that?" Morgan snapped her fingers. "Oh, shoot, I forgot you're not from our time." Will and Jack give her confused glances. "How am I gonna explain this, Jade?" asked Morgan. "Hmmmmmmmmmmm…" (Jade scratched her head thoughtfully) "It's self-powered, kinda. You know how you're donkey gives you power when you need it, Will?" He nodded. "Well, a motor is kind of like your donkey. It powers the rest of the four-wheeler and that's how it moves on it's own. Got it?" Jack and Will: "Aye, we got it." Jade walked over to Morgan and muttered in her ear, "…a bit elementary, but I couldn't think of anything else they were likely to understand!" Morgan snickered.

"Well, I guess we better be getting back to the house before dark…damn mosquitoes won't leave you alone after seven o'clock," said Morgan disgustedly. "Umm, Morgan, how are you, me, Jack and Will all going to fit onto a 176 Kawasaki?" Jade asked her pointedly. "Oh…uh huh…umm…I got it!! You and Jack can walk!" "Ha, ha, ha, very funny!" replied Jade sarcastically. "Then again…" she stopped and looked over at Jack, who was now inspecting every inch of the ATV. "It might be kinda nice to walk home with Jack, alone." She grinned mischievously. Morgan smiled back. "Aye, that's what I thought. Alright guys," she said a little louder, "Will, you're riding back with me on the four-wheeler, and Jack, you get to walk home with Jade. OK?" Jack thought a minute, then brightened. "Alrighty, mate, so long's I get some rum when we get there…you _do _have rum, don't ya'?" he asked anxiously. Jade laughed again. "Aye, Jack, we have rum. Just wait 'til I give you a taste of Captain Morgan!" "Who is she?" asked Jack eagerly. "Not _she, _Jack, Captain Morgan is the name of a certain drink we have nowadays," corrected Morgan. "Oh," Jack said flatly. Morgan and Jade grinned at each other.

"Well, come on, let's scram." Morgan got on and cranked the four-wheeler. Will got on tentatively behind her. "We'll see you later," said Jade. Jack was standing next to her. Morgan smiled and gave her a thumbs up, then shifted into gear. "Hold on," she told Will. "Is it any faster than a ship?" he asked. Morgan thought, 'This is going to be funny!' and nodded in reply. She hit the gas and they sped up a hill. She could feel Will's silent astonishment as they whipped down the road and laughed inwardly. Seconds later they topped a second hill and the woods suddenly opened up into a seven hundred acre flat. There were a few houses smattered upon it and Morgan headed for the one in the middle. She craned her head slightly to look at Will's reaction and started chuckling in spite of her self. He was looking everywhere as if he'd never seen grass before. He gazed at her when she laughed. "What are you laughing at?" he asked, slightly hurt. "You!!" she replied, giggling. He was about to open his mouth to say something when she shouted, "Get a tight grip!" She switched into fifth gear and punched it. She felt Will fly backward at the sudden change of speed, then he was grasping her around the waist in a death grip. She smiled from ear to ear, and gave it a little more gas. The wind ripped tears from her eyes. It was also bringing tears to Will's, but he didn't dare let go of Morgan's waist to wipe them away. He vaguely considered the fact that he was acting very ungentleman like, but at the present he didn't care. They covered the mile and a half in record speed, and a few seconds later, they pulled into the yard of a modest, country style house. Will got off and staggered slightly, then inspected the new area around him. The first thing he noticed was there were three white-faced bulls on the other side of a fence. The second thing he noticed was the herd of about two-hundred cows that surrounded the house. He also saw three horses grazing in the shadows of a tree not far off.

"Wow!" he whispered. "Say what?" asked Morgan, who had come up behind him. "Who do all these cows and horses belong to?" "Oh, the cows all belong to my uncle, and the horses belong to me." She motioned to him to come inside. He did so, and, following her lead, took off his muddy boots at the door. As soon as he looked up his jaw dropped. He had never been in so country a house. Morgan proceeded to give him the grand tour, telling him along the way what apparatus did this and what did that. He had never been so boggled in all his life, but gradually he began to get it. There were at least ten deer racks mounted on a wall in the den, and there was a cabinet filled with shotguns and rifles. "That one's mine," Morgan said, pointing to a 12-gauge shotgun. "And that one's Jades." She pointed to a 30'06. bolt action rifle. "We also have bows and swords and stuff, but we keep them locked up." "You have swords?" Will asked her quickly. She nodded. "Can we spar later?" "Sure, but we'll wait for Jade and Jack. They oughta be along in about thirty minutes." She grabbed a pair of binoculars and went to a nearby window. It took her a moment, but after adjusting it, she finally saw Jack and Jade walking through the pasture towards the house. They were about halfway there. Morgan returned the binoculars to their shelf and turned to Will.

"Will, you can stay in my room…I'll sleep on the couch. Come on, I'll show you where it is." Will's ears turned pink. 'Awww, how cute!!' thought Morgan. "I don't want to…to put you to any trouble," he protested, but Morgan shut him up by pulling him down through the house to a room. She opened the door and walked inside. Will followed. He immediately noticed that there were pictures of horses everywhere; there was a horse calendar, and there were pictures of men sitting atop bucking bulls ('Now what in hellfire,' though Will.) And there were also two posters, one of an Elf shooting a bow and arrow from astride a white horse, and another one of a young man, with dark curly hair, standing on a beach. The name "Orlando Bloom" was printed in big letters across the bottom of it. "Who is that?" Will asked. "He looks familiar." Morgan looked at the poster and thought quickly about how to tell Will that Orlando Bloom was really him in the present, but at the same time he wasn't...SHEESH! This was getting confusing! She decided to go instead with the easiest approach possible. "I don't know, really. That's just something Jade gave me." 'I'll tell him later, when Jade gets back,' Morgan mused silently. There was a knock on the front door. 'Which should be right about now.' She skipped down the hall and yelled "COMING!" When she opened up the door Jack and Jade came walking through. They both took their boots off (Jack did so reluctantly) and strolled in the kitchen.

"Was your walk nice?" Will asked. They both nodded enthusiatically. "Jade taught me a lot of stuff about farms and things, and I got to hold a baby rabbit! I've never even _seen _one before!" Jack puffed his chest out proudly. Morgan shook her head.

"Will, why don't you give Jack a tour of the house and tell him what all you found out about washing machines, driers, and stuff, OK?" "Sure Morgan!" Will replied, and with that he grabbed Jack's sleeve and hauled him off to the utility room.

Jade sidled up to Morgan as they watched the two pirates. "So I take it your walk was nice?" Jade smiled impishly and nodded. "How did Will like the four-wheeler?" "Fine, once he got a hold of my waist! We was staggering when we got off!" They both giggled. Once they had quieted down, Jade nudged Morgan.

"Hey, Morgan, do you still want to watch Pirates of the Caribbean?" she asked jokingly. "Ye know, Jaaade, me thinks I've had enough pirates for one day!!" They looked at Jack and Will, who were now examining the dishwasher, then back at each other and fell out laughing.

This was turning out to be a very wild and swashbuckling day.


	5. Sparring Match

A/N: Sorry I haven't updated... I've been at the Regional 4-H horse show in Monroe, LA for the last week. But anyway, here be the next chapter, so my reviewer Captain Sparrow can relax now! Oh, yeah, I've been thinking about doing a PotC / Tombstone crossover. Whaddayathink, guys?

Chapter 5, Sparring Match

Will lay awake in bed that night thinking about what all had happened that day. He really liked these two girls, especially Morgan. They were both so, well, _pirate like_, but they were both very nice and funny. Not to mention tough! Thinking about pirates made Will remember the Black Pearl. The last thing he remembered about the ship was watching her sink to the bottom of the ocean with blazing sails, then everything had gone black. The next the he knew, he was here, with Jack, in this unusual place, with Morgan and Jade. To put it lightly, he was boggled as to how they had even wound up here. And all these crazy things around the house: cars, four-wheelers, dishwashers…Will shook his head to clear his mind. 'Wonder if Jack has a plan to get back to where we were before this happened' he thought with a touch of humor. Little did he know that Jack was thinking along those very same lines on the other end of the house. 'Wonder if I can figure out a plan to get back to me Pearl…' then he remembered that he didn't have a Black Pearl anymore. The thought made Jack sick. He looked around and his gaze landed on the door to Jade's room. He instantly brightened. He had never thought that there could be anything or anyone that could take the place of his beloved ship, but by gosh, Jade was close!! So close. Jack had liked her immediately, and that mile and a half walk alone with her (he smiled inwardly at the thought) had done absolutely nothing to discourage him. She was even more feisty that Anamaria, and that was saying something (as Jack knew first hand what Ana could be like when she got ticked!). In fact, if you put Ana and Jade into a room and left them to tangle, Jack had no doubts whatsoever who would come out on top. He remembered that Jade and Morgan had mentioned something about a sparring match tomorrow. He wondered if they were any good. 'I guess I'll be finding out for me onesies,' he thought, and drifted off to sleep.

"Well, 'ello guys! Ready for a day of sparring?" Jade said cheerfully as she bounced into the kitchen the next morning. Morgan glared reproachfully at her. "Where have you been?" she asked. "Don't you know that it's 9:00 in the morning?" Jade began to laugh. Morgan gave her a quizzical look. "Why are you laughing?" Jade took a seat at the table between Jack and Will. "Because, usually it's _you_ who sleeps late in the morning, not me!!" Morgan's eyes began to twinkle, and though she tried to remain mad, she couldn't resist chuckling herself. The giggles were infectious and soon all four of them were howling with laughter. It felt good. Once a shred of order was reinstated, Morgan got up and made toast, bacon and eggs for everyone. As soon as they had finished eating, Jade and Morgan went to gather their swords. Jade's was a short, but sharp cutlass. Morgan's was a long, sleek saber. Will inspected them, as did Jack. "Nice" the both said with some amount of admiration. Jade rolled her eyes. "Of course they're nice! You didn't seriously think we'd be fighting with some old rusty, flawed, trashy swords, now did ya'?" Jack stared at the ground sheepishly. Morgan and Will tried to hold in laughs. Jack got out his weapon and began warming up with it, thrusting occasional lunges and parries at Jade. Will and Moran did the same. When they were warmed up, Jade stepped to the door and went outside. The other three followed. Jade moved off into the grass in the front yard and saluted Jack with her cutlass. Morgan smiled, recognizing the salute to be from the lightsaber duel between Count Dooku and Yoda in "Star Wars, Attack of the Clones." Jack and Will just looked confused. Jade rolled her eyes again. "Never mind," she said. "Are you ready then?" Jack nodded and approached. Morgan and Will sat down on the patio to watch. Jade and Jack circled each other warily and stopped. Suddenly Jack took a swipe at Jade's arm. It was a halfhearted attempt, and Jade parried easily. She returned the blow, which Jack blocked easily. "Come on, Jade, show him whatcha got!" whispered Morgan. It seemed that Jade had heard, for when Jack lunged once more, she evaded his blow and immediately unleashed a torrential rain of attacks on him. She was so fast that he hardly had time to parry. He was surprised at her speed. They fought all the way to the other end of the yard before Jack managed to fend her off. She grinned at him. They circled again, and this time Jack attacked. He didn't use the most complicated maneuvers, but he had a lot of strength and it was hard at first for Jade to defend herself. However she herself had a fair amount of time in the gym under her belt, and she used it to her advantage. As Jack took a particularly wild and strong swing at her, she parried and ducked under his blade. Before Jack knew what had happened, Jade had whirled away and was standing on one of the patio tables (Will and Morgan had moved to a safer viewing spot). He grinned at her. "Yer pretty good" he called to her. "Thanks, I know!!!" she replied with a mischievous grin. Jack shook his head and came after her. He swung at her feet and she jumped over his blade. He jumped onto the table and she jumped off, all the while grinning. As soon as she was back on the ground she turned and attacked, but Jack wasn't on the table; he had hopped off and was right behind her. Her attacks went astray…he was too close!! She had no choice but to drop to the ground and roll away as he lunged at her. She just made it away. "GO JACK!" Will yelled. Jack came after her once more, but this time, Jade was ready. She feinted one way, then thrusted another. Jack wasn't able to follow her and paid for his lack of concentration with a long cut on his arm. He looked down at it, then up at her. He smiled. "Ye should have thought better of that." "Oh, and what are you going to do about it?" she inquired teasingly. "This!" he replied. He threw his sword at her and when she ducked, he pounced, knocking her cutlass awry. They rolled around throwing punches at each other for a moment. "HEY! That's cheating!" Morgan called. "Pirate!" replied Jack breathlessly. He and Jade continued their brawl for a few minutes before Jade scrambled away and jumped for her sword. Jack did the same thing, and when they both turned to face each other, they found themselves staring down the other's sword. Jade laughed. "Well, looks like we both won that one." Jack grinned. "Aye, I reckon so." Jade removed her sword from Jack's throat and sheathed it; Jack did the same. Will and Morgan came out to congratulate them. "Wow, Jade, you fight really well for a woman!" said Will. Morgan, who had been pounding Jade on the back, suddenly stiffened at these words. "What's that supposed to mean?" she inquired icily. Jade and Jack looked at each other and nodded. They retreated to the safety of the patio. Will gulped and tried to clear up his mistake. Morgan glared at him. "_Well??" _He nervously replied. "N…nothing, Morgan, I just meant…." "You just meant that woman are inferior to men??" Will looked horrified. "N...n…never!" "Would you care to explain then?" Morgan asked in a dangerous voice. She unsheathed her saber. When Will wasn't watching, she turned to look at Jade and winked at her, a smile playing on her lips. She rehitched her mad look back onto her face as she turned back to Will, who had gotten out his sword too. Morgan wasn't really mad at him, she was just egging him on into a fight. So far, it was working. Will was beginning to get angry now. "I didn't mean it that way, alright?" he halfway shouted. "Really?" asked Morgan and suddenly lunged at him. Will immediately brought his blade up to meet hers……………………….

END OF CHAPTER nice cliffhanger, huh? I doubt Sylvester Stallone could do better….haaa haa haa haa ha… _PLEEEAAASSSSEEEEE _tell me somebody got that!


	6. Horseback Riding Lessons

A/N: Hey guys! I've been wanting to write this part for forever. I've finally posted it. Whoopee!

Chapter 6, Horseback Riding Lessons

"Ow, Morgan! Did ye' have to slice my arm open like that?" Will asked her, disgruntled. She merely smiled at him. Unfortunately, the outcome of the fight hadn't turned out very well for Will; Morgan had not only cut him, she had also humiliated the hellfire out of him! 'Jack's never gonna let me live that one down,' Will thought to himself. "By the way, Will, I wasn't really serious about the whole 'woman inferior to men' thing…I was just goading you into a fight." "You were _what?_" Morgan winked. Will shook his head and stomped off, muttering darkly. Morgan chuckled and went to sit by Jade and Jack, the latter of the two whom was laughing his head off. "Well," said Jade. "Looks like the men just can't hang with us when it comes to swordplay!" That shut Jack up. "Whaddayamean by that, luv?" Jade gazed at him for a second, then said, "Never-mind." Will walked back up to them and sat down next to Morgan. Jack put his arm around Jade's shoulders. Will watched him silently. He was longing to, he would…no, he couldn't; 'What about Elizabeth?' 'Elizabeth isn't here right now, just do it…' 'No, I…' 'Do it!' 'No, it's not gentleman-like…' 'You're not a gentleman, you're a pirate, now do it. Just _do it!' _'No.' 'Yes.' 'NO.' 'YES!!' 'N…..' Will lifted his arm and placed it gingerly around Morgan's waist. She didn't object. Will breathed a sigh. 'There, I did it!' The opposing voice in Will's head stopped, and as he relaxed Morgan snuggled up closer. Will smiled contentedly. Jack, who had been watching the two of them out of the corner of his eye, shook his head slightly and decided it was about time to do the pair a favor and change the subject. "Well, he said, breaking the comfortable silence. He got up and pranced over to stand in front of Morgan. She raised an eyebrow. "I say it's been a great rest and all…" He flipped one of his braids over his shoulder. "But methinks it's time to do something else. What say you?" Jade and Morgan slowly got up. Will, looking faintly disappointed, followed suit. "I reckon yer right, Jack," said Jade. "What do you want to do, Morgan?" Morgan gazed around and her eyes fell upon her three horses, which were grazing outside the yard, and her face lit up. "Well, we could always go for a ride!" Jade brightened. "Yeah, great idea! Let's go." "Ummm, hold up a minute," said Will. "You mean, ride a _horse_?" Jade gave him a funny look. "Yeah, why?" Will and Jack both shrugged their shoulders and Jack shifted his weight uneasily. "Well ummmmmmmmm, actually…" Jack _really _didn't want Jade to know this… "You've never ridden a horse, have you," Morgan stated. They shook their heads. Jade and Morgan glanced at each other.

"So, you boys got all that?" Morgan asked. Jack and Will nodded nervously. They were mounted on two horses named Pepper and Bo. Pepper was a short bay horse with a white star on his forehead. Bo was a sorrel. They were both exceedingly gentle natured, but at the moment the horses were wearing expressions of utmost doubtfulness about their newest charges. The girls had just given the pirates a crash course on the basics of horseback riding, and they were now ready to try to ride on their own. "So," said Jade. "Whenever you're ready, cluck to go, say 'whoa' to stop, and pull gently on the reins to go left or right." Jack nodded and clucked uncertainly. Bo shook his head and burst into a brisk trot. Jack flew backwards at the sudden impulsion, but he quickly regained his balance. Will clucked softly and Pepper eased into a slow jog. At first the men were all over the place; bouncing, losing their balance, dropping the reins, and speeding up and slowing down, but eventually they were trotting smoothly along the fence of Morgan's arena. Jade continued to coach them as they rode, then Morgan set up some cones and instructed them to ride a serpentine pattern through them. It took a few tries for Will to get it. Jack was particularly smug about the fact that he had picked up the maneuver faster than Will. He called out happily as he successfully completed the pattern. "Hey, eunuch, I did it! Look!" He turned Bo around and clucked a little too vigorously. Bo burst into a lope and gave a frisky buck. Jack scrambled, trying to hold onto the saddle horn; but the power was too strong for him, and he tumbled forward over the horse's shoulder. THUNK! Morgan and Jade gasped and ran over to help him. He got up, swaying and looking disgruntled. Bo was standing just a little behind them, grazing. Jade went to retrieve him as Will rode up. He was chuckling silently. "You alright, Jack?" asked Morgan. "Captain Jack Sparrow is _always _alright!" he replied indignantly. He took the reins from Jade and mounted, then resumed riding around the arena, though Morgan, Jade and Will could all tell the he was trying hard not to favor his rear. They looked at each other and burst out laughing. Pepper bobbed his head and whinnied. That made them laugh even harder.

A/N: For those of you who aren't horse people (as I know a lot of you aren't!) here are a few terms. BAY: a dark brown horse with a black mane and tail. SORREL: a medium brown colored horse. SADDLE HORN: part of a western stock saddle used as a handle and other miscellaneous stuff. LOPE: a smooth, three-beat way of movement for a horse. SERPENTINE: now should I really have to explain that?

A/Q: (Author's question) Are there any guys on FanFiction or is it only us crazed girls? See y'all later!


	7. No Pistils?

A/N: Hey guys, straight to it today. I know this one's short, but please forgive me.

Chapter 7, "No Pistils?"

Will was sitting on the back porch of the house. It was nighttime and the girls had both gone to bed. Jade had decided to stay the week with Morgan, instead of going home. He was glad – she gave Jack something to think about! And speaking of Jack… "Will?" Jack stuck his head out of the door. "You out here?" It was dark as molasses on the porch; Will hadn't turned the light on. "Yeah, Jack, I'm here." Jack quietly slid the door shut, then came over and sat in the chair next to Will. He propped his feet up on the patio table. "Well what are you going to do?" Jack asked. Will looked quizzically at him, though he thought he knew what was coming. "What do you mean?" Jack rolled his eyes. "You know darn well what I mean, mate." Will looked back out at the pasture and sighed. "I don't know, Jack, I just don't know." There was a moment of silence, then – "I was watching you and Morgan today. You love 'er, don't ya'?" Will didn't answer right away. That was all the answer Jack needed. "Oh ho! You do love her! My, what's the poor lass Elizabeth going to say?" Will's irritation perked up. "Elizabeth isn't here. And besides, I don't love her." Jack fixed him with such a pointed stare that Will couldn't meet his eyes. "Well, not exactly," he said sheepishly. "More like, I have very 'intense liking' for her. Not love," he added. "Uh, huh, whatever you say, mate," Jack replied. He still wore a skeptical look. Will shook his head. They sat in silence for nearly forty-five minutes before Will finally went to bed. Jack followed suit shortly after.

_Two weeks later._

"Brrrrr, it's chilly," stated Jade. They were sitting around the fireplace playing a card game called Rummy, which the pirates had only just learned in the last week. Recently there had been a cool snap, and fall it seemed was coming on early. The leaves on the trees were turning red, and the pecans and acorns were beginning to fall. "You know," said Morgan. "These are perfect conditions for hunting." Jade began to laugh, then told her, "The last time you said that, we wound up with two pirates! Who next?" Morgan smiled slyly. "Maybe Han Solo or Legolas?" Jade's eyes began to twinkle, then they both fell over laughing. Jack looked at Will, who shrugged bewilderedly. "Anyway, what do you say we go hunting?" Jade asked. "Sure, why not," agreed Jack. Will nodded enthusiastically. Morgan smiled. "Good, we'll go in the morning." Jack rocked back and forth in his seat. "I just can't wait to kill me some game with me trusty pistil!" he said, and began to examine it and make sure it was in working order. "What're we huntin'?" Jade cleared her throat. "Umm, first of all, we're hunting deer. Second, ya'll ain't gonna be using your pistils." Will's face fell. "No pistils?" Jack and Will asked together. "No pistils." Morgan and Jade answered.


	8. John Wayne Liked Rifles

A/N: Hey! Three updates in two days! Not bad, huh? By the way…I love John Wayne. Yeah, I know that was kind of random, but you'll figure it out. Also, if you're confused by some of the terms in this chapter, please refer to a dictionary, because I don't have time to explain them. Please review.

A/N: Oh yeah, the title of this chapter is absolutely true. Found out when I was watching one of those AMC movie profiles. J.W. actually did prefer a rifle over all other guns because they are more powerful, have sharper aim, and can shoot longer distances more accurately. Also they are easier to handle than a pistil (seriously! They're much easier.).

Chapter 8, John Wayne Liked Rifles.

"Come on boys, lets go get you set up. Ya'll ever shot a 12-guage or anything like that?" Jack and Will shook their heads. "Well then, 'bout time you did," said Morgan. They followed Morgan to the gun cabinet, where she busied herself rummaging around in a drawer looking for bullets. "Nope," they heard her mutter. "Nope, no, what's this, _ughh,_ no, get outta here, spider! No, nope, n…yes!! I found 'em." She straightened up, holding a double handful of bullets. "All right Will, here's the deal. You're going to shoot my 12-guage shotgun, and you'll be using # 1 buckshot with an improved-cylinder barrel," she told him. He nodded. "OK." "And Jack, you're going to be using Jade's 30.-06 rifle. That cool?" "Savvy," he replied. "Oky-doky, I'll shoot the 7 MM, then," said Jade. Morgan looked at the guns. "Well heck! All ya'll have left me with are the squirrel guns, the BB gun and the 10-guage. Fine, reckon I'll be taking the shotgun." "Do you have the bullets?" Jade asked. "Right here." Morgan held up the bullets. "Great," Jade said. "Now let's go practice.

Outside they showed Jack and Will the mechanisms and how to use the scopes, which they had never seen before. The guys caught on quickly, so the girls let them shoot first. "I'm gonna aim for that '**X**' on the right top part of the target," said Will. "OK, go ahea….no! Will, wait a second –"

Boom!

When the smoke cleared, they all turned around to see Will lying on the ground. The gun had knocked him bottom-side-upwards! Jade and Morgan doubled over howling, while Jack just grinned at him. Will's face was red as a beet. "I w-was going to – to tell y-you –" Morgan managed to say. "You w-were holding it t-too loose against your sh- shoulder. The thing kicks like a mule!" She added when she finally got control of herself. Jade squinted at the target, then said, "You shot way too low, Will. Aim higher this time." He got up, still looking a tad embarrassed, and reloaded. He held the gun much tighter against his shoulder this time, and taking careful aim, pulled the trigger. The shot issued forth, and when Jade examined the target again, the bullet hole was in the center of the '**X**'. Will relaxed and moved over to let Jack go. "Nice," said Jack, "for a eunich!" He aimed, cocked, then let it fly. His shot also hit the center of the '**X**'. Jade and Morgan clapped. "Great, now my turn," said Morgan. She aimed for a red dot no larger than a fifty-cent piece. "And…" she squeezed the trigger gently. "…Bingo!" There was a small hole in the dead middle of the dot. "Beat that, Jade!" Morgan challenged triumphantly. "Fine," replied Jade with a fake sigh. "I'm surprised that you would even ask me to try to beat that shot, 'cause you know I will." She took her place, loaded, and cocked it. Morgan thought to herself, 'How on earth can she better that shot?' Jade continued on. "You know I've always been –" She aimed. " – a better shot –" She pulled the trigger. " – than you!" Morgan went to look at the target. At first she didn't see a hole and for a wild moment she thought Jade had missed altogether. Then she examined her own bullet hole…and there was a tiny, tiny, tiny piece of material that had been ripped off the side of it. Jade's bullet had gone straight through her hole!! "Now you know why John Wayne always liked rifles over shotguns!" Jade called to her. Morgan kicked the dirt and yelled, "DAMN IT!!!!!"


	9. Deer Hunting

A/N: Gosh...it's been a while. Anyway, here's the next chapter. Deer hunters, beware! I found this chapter pretty amusing to write, because I know just how easy it is to wind up like Jack. Just a quick reply to my reviewers Todd (It is Todd right? I haven't looked in a while) & Captain Jade Sparrow.

Todd: It's great that you're getting a horse. They're a lot of work, but man, they're worth it!

Captain Jade Sparrow: Hey girl...relax...here's another chapter. And yes, I'm coming to the sheriff's rodeo Saturday.

And now, on with the spectacle!!

Chapter 9, Hunting

It was 3:30 in the morning; the night was pitch black with a cool fall breeze blowing. Jack turned over in his bed, dreaming fitfully about the good old days Black Pearl. He was barking orders at the crew; the Interceptor was far behind, trying in vain to catch up; he had just said something that ticked Anamaria off, and she was about to slap him, when... "Wake up, time to go huntin'!" Jade popped into the room and flipped the light on, then began laying out a complete set of camouflage clothing that she had slung over her shoulder. Jade herself was decked from head to toe in Mossy Oak, and she also had on a pair of waterproof snake-guards. Jack raised up on his elbows. "Already?" he asked. Jade rolled her eyes. "Yes, now come on, ye' scoundrel." She left the room. Jack got up and wandered over to the dresser where she had left the clothes. He began to put them on. When he was finished he walked down the hall to the kitchen, yawning slightly. He joined Morgan, Will, and Jade in a quick snack of beef jerky and rum. Ten minutes later, they had grabbed their guns and ammunition, and were driving out to a good spot in the woods along a nearby river. "Now," said Morgan, "don't shoot anything with spots; don't shoot across a road; don't shoot a doe with a fawn by her side..." She went on to rattle off the general rules of hunting. "...and don't shoot a big 16 point buck." "Why not?" Will asked, snuggling up to her and giving her puppy-dog eyes. "Because that sucker is _mine! _I've been after him for five years." They were now about four miles out in the woods. Jade parked the truck and they all got out. She pointed out two tree-stands. "Will, the one to the north is yours, and the other one is Jack's. _Don't leave your stand, _and please, don't shoot each other!! Morgan and I will be hunting on the ground." The pirates nodded and walked off to their respective stands. "You know, Will looks kinda good in camou," said Morgan as she watched his retreating form. Jade winked. They fanned out and began stalking the edge of a nearby field.

It was just now getting on around 4:35, and the animals were beginning to wake up. Will took a deep breath as he sat on his stand, gun across his lap. He had never been in as peaceful a place as this, and he suddenly realized that he never wanted to leave. Not even for Elizabeth. In fact, he didn't even love her any more...he loved Morgan. Jack had been right after all. He smiled and settled back across the tree.

(Two hours later)

In the other stand, Jack wasn't feeling quite as happy. He was bored. It was 6:30 and he hadn't seen or heard a thing. 'Damn it' he thought. 'I've had enough of this.' He quietly climbed down out of the stand and began walking stealthily to the west. He had gone a fair ways and was beginning to get impatient again, when he topped an embankment and saw a large river before him, bordered by a sandbar. Jack stepped out onto the sand and gazed around, when something caught his eye. He crouched down to look. Fresh tracks, headed south. They were big, too. He straightened, and began stalking tree to tree in the direction indicated by the tracks. He had barely gone fifteen paces when he saw a large form ahead of him, nibbling on some berries. The wind was blowing in Jack's favor, so the animal couldn't smell him. Jack crept forward a little more, then slowly raised and cocked his gun. He took aim and pulled the trigger. CRACK! The deer jumped and ran a few steps, then keeled over, dead. Jack smiled in triumph and swaggered over to inspect his trophy. It was a ten point buck! _'Not bad,'_ Jack thought to himself. _'Jade oughta like that!'_ Flushed with success, he grabbed the antlers and started to haul his kill back to the stand. However, Jack soon found that he had not paid enough attention to exactly _where_ his stand had been, and just as fast as he had realized it, he was lost as a goose. 'Damn,' he muttered under his breath. He wandered for about thirty minutes, all the while dragging his buck behind him. His arms were beginning to ache from holding the gun and the added weight of the deer; he was sweating and hot, and no closer to finding his way out of there than he was beforehand. Finally, he found a new route and began to plod along it. He went about twenty yards, and was passing over a marshy section of land, when he took a step and suddenly sank up to his chest. PLOOSH! SCUELCH! SQUISH! He had unwittingly stumbled right into a quagmire, and was now stuck fast in the mud, his deer still lying on the edge. Jack's temper got the better of him, and he took off his hat and threw it down in the ground. "HOLY SHIT!"


	10. Hunting ctnd

A/N: WOW! I never thought I'd get so many reviews for this story, especially as this is my first one. I might do a LotRs story next...anyway I have one in the making; I'm not sure if I'll post it or not. Thanks to everybody who has reviewed. This chapter is slightly longer than the others...hope you like it.

Chapter 10, Hunting (continued)

Morgan carefully made her way through a cocklebur thicket. She and Jade had decided to split up and take different directions. That was about four hours ago. Morgan had hunted all up and down a nearby creek, and a section of the river too, and was now coming back to the field where she had started. Morgan's luck was with her...she was hot on the trail of a buck that looked to be around two hundred and thirty pounds... _'A fair kill for anyone to boast about!'_ she thought to herself. Originally she had tried waiting for him to come into range, but eventually gave up on that because he kept going the other way. Morgan was not going to be outdone...this was too good a trophy. Therefore, she had started slow glassing and stalking him, and was now beginning to gain. _'Good thing too...I'm getting hungry. Must be getting on about lunch time by now.' _She dug down in her pockets for some jerky that she had smuggled from the table that morning and silently ripped off a large chunk. Thankfully she was downwind of the deer, so he couldn't smell her. Morgan finished the jerky, then picked up her gun and continued on glassing for another fifteen minutes. The buck was circling the perimeter of the field. She was getting very close now and was beginning to grow excited. Up ahead the deer stopped and proceeded to leave a rub on one of the larger trees. Morgan saw that he had about a seventeen-point rack and realized that this was the one that had been evading her for the last five hunting seasons. She drew a breath and slowly raised the gun. 'This is it, you big lump of venison...finally!' She aimed just behind the shoulder and put her finger on the trigger. Suddenly a shot rang out, not fifty yards away, and Morgan's buck leaped into the air, then crumpled. Morgan started, and her finger slipped from the trigger as she dropped the gun, trembling. Once the shock had passed, and she regained control of herself, anger started to set in. She picked up her gun and walked over to the deer. "What kind of a tom-fool idiot shot my deer right out from under me?!" she seethed loudly. "Why, Morgan, that would be me!" Jade came bouncing through the woods toward her. "But please, pardon me; I didn't know that that was _your _deer...I was just ground hunting a ways back and saw this buck here..." she faltered under Morgan's death glare. She continued to glare for twenty seconds, and Jade started to feel a tad uncomfortable. Finally Morgan began to speak; or rather, hiss. _"Didn't...I...Tell...You...Not...To...Shoot...Anything...That...Looked...Like...A...Sixteen-point?" _Jade nodded, and swallowed. She could tell that Morgan was really P.Oed. She looked down at the deer's rack, and then glanced at Morgan. "Well, Morgan, now don't get mad, but...I actually didn't shoot anything like a sixteen point, so technically I did what you said!" Jade told her hopefully. Morgan narrowed her eyes, but Jade noticed that some of the anger had left them, to be replaced by curiosity. "Explain," commanded Morgan. Jade flipped her hair over her shoulder, trying to lighten the mood a little, then answered sheepishly: "Well, if you look closely, you'll see that this buck, in fact, has twenty points, not sixteen." Morgan stared, then looked down at the deer to confirm what Jade said. Sure enough, she counted twenty points. She looked back up at Jade. _"WHY YOU YELLOW-BELLIED, DIRTY-LIVER, PUSCILLANIMUS, two-bit-ignoramus, son-of-a-one-eyed-horse-thief..."_ she trailed off, her voice fading from a shout to a whisper. Jade, whose face had been scrunched up against the tirade, opened one eye and peered at Morgan, who had finished yelling and was now staring at the deer. She gazed for a few moments, then all the anger left, and she began chuckling. Jade opened both eyes in surprise. Now Morgan was positively howling. "What's so funny?" Jade asked quizzically. "Nothing, nothing," replied Morgan, "Let's get this thing back to the truck."

When Jade and Morgan got to the truck, who should they find snoozing in the bed but Will! Morgan propped her elbow on the tailgate and shot Jade an exasperated look. Jade shook her head and poked Will in the ribs. "Huh, wha...whassamatter?" He asked, jerking awake. Morgan snorted. "Nothing, just come help us load Jade's buck." "She got one?" Will inquired. His eyes got big. "Well, I guess she did. I didn't see a blasted thing all day, so I decided to come back to the truck and catch a nap." Morgan nodded. "Well, let's go get Jack and call it quits," said Jade –

"Where the devil is he?" They were at Jack's stand, and no trace of him was to be found, except for a trail of flattened grass leading towards the river. "Oh, yeah, I forgot to tell you...I heard a shot fired off over by the sandbar this morning. That wasn't any of you guys was it?" Jade asked. Morgan and Will shook their heads. "Maybe Jack got tired of stand hunting," Morgan suggested. Jade growled. "I'm gonna kill him when I find him. Let's go." They walked towards the river, eventually coming out on the sandbar. "Alright, spread out...if you find anything, holler," said Morgan. Will nodded and turned around, then let out a holler so loud that Morgan and Jade jumped. "What's the matter, Will?" Jade asked with wide eyes. "Well, you said to holler if we found anything, and there's a trail of blood leading that way." He pointed. Jade came over and looked, then a frown appeared on her face. "That's deer blood. I bet you anything that good-for-nothing pirate killed himself a deer. Come on." They trekked onward for about thirty minutes, all the while following the trail of blood, which criss-crossed every which direction. "Damn, he must've gotten himself lost," said Will. Finally, they came up on a particularly swampy area. "Can't go much farther...damn gators'll chase you as soon as look at'cha." "Agreed," said Jade. "But hell, the trail leads right into the plac.....wait a second! What's that?" She pointed at a body. Will squinted. "It's a deer, and that's Jack's hat beside it!" The trio needed no other persuasion...they bolted off toward the deer. When they got there, they stopped in their tracks. They stared. They looked at each other. They fell out laughing. There, stuck fast, was Jack, covered in mud and blood, and looking absolutely miserable. He glared at them. "Took ye' long enough!" He snapped. Jade was positively rolling; her face was red, and she was holding her sides. "You know what this reminds me of?" Morgan said between howls. "This reminds me of that Brer Rabbit episode where he got stuck to Brer Wolf's tar baby!" Jade let out a renewed shout of laughter, and Morgan proceeded to split her sides. When they finally got up, they were both wiping tears of mirth from their eyes. "OK, guys, let's get him out of there," said Will, who had also done his share of laughing. Jack looked disdainfully at them. "I don't see nothin' funny about the present situation," he said in a maddening tone. The girls and Will giggled again. Morgan told them, "Hold on for a little while, and I'll be back with the truck and some rope," and she went off, still chuckling.


	11. Rain

A/N: Hey again. Thanks for the reviews...you guys are great! I'm sorry for not updating sooner; I won't bore you all with excuses, though. This chapter is going to be a little different than the others...I'll let you read in peace now. Enjoy!

A/N: Also, I don't own Willie Nelson or his song Stardust. For anyone who hasn't heard it, please listen to it...it's beautiful.

Chapter 11, Rain

Morgan sat quietly in her chair on the back porch, looking out over the hazy field, and munching on some venison they had made from Jack's and Jade's deer. It had been a week or so since they had killed them, and Jack still hadn't quit boasting about his. Morgan smiled, something she hadn't done since the hunt. Everyone had noticed her melancholy mood, and Jade had asked her what the problem was. Morgan had answered with a shrug; partly because she didn't want to talk and partly because she didn't know what the problem was herself. Now, five days later, however, she had had time to figure out what was making her withdraw more and more into herself. She let out a deep sigh and thought back to the day when the four of them had been sword fighting. As she reminisced, dark clouds started to build up, and it began to rain.

(((Flashback)))

Will came and sat down next to Morgan. They had just finished fighting (and Morgan had beaten him!) and were now sitting quietly, each with their own muses. Morgan snuggled up closer to Will and relaxed, her eyes closed. After a few moments, Will put his arm around her, and a shock like ice-cold fire suddenly whizzed through Morgan's body.

(((End Flashback)))

Morgan reclined in her chair and finished her venison. It thundered, and the rain started falling harder.

(((Flashback)))

They were in the truck, driving out to their hunting stands. Will asked why he couldn't shoot the big buck Morgan had just told them about, and he gave her puppy-dog eyes. She didn't show it, and answered him with a smart remark, but on the inside, she melted and her resolve shattered.

(((End Flashback)))

Morgan sighed again. It was getting on towards 6:30 P.M., and the sky was dark with clouds, making it seem even later. She shook her head. Every time she looked at Will; saw his handsome features, his kind face, his caring eyes, his loving soul; she trembled inside and forgot about everything but him. It had taken her a while to figure out why she felt this way, but now that she had, she was unsure. She felt love. Love. It was the first time she'd ever felt it, and the emotion was overpowering. It scared her. She didn't know what to do; whether to embrace it, or walk away, or to try to understand it. Morgan wanted so much to welcome this newfound love, but she was deathly afraid that Will might not share her feelings. She was so caught up in her confused thoughts that she didn't realize there was someone else in the room until a gentle hand touched her face. Morgan opened the eyes that she didn't even remember closing and looked straight into the gaze of Will Turner. She immediately began to tremble and tried to look away. He didn't say a word, but tilted her chin up and stared into her eyes. In that second, both Morgan and Will found the answers and assurance that they had been searching for, and neither was unsure. Will's hand went to her shoulder and slowly began to bring her towards him. Morgan began to tingle, and timidly whispered, "_Will?" _He put his finger on her lips to hush her and brought her closer. Their eyes met and held, each reflecting the other's love. For a second they gazed, inches away, and then their lips met. Time halted, and the world around them spun out of existence. All Morgan and Will knew was the warmth of each other, the satisfying taste of salty sweat and sweet lips, and the combination of Evening in Paris and the smell of fresh rain. When they finally broke apart, Morgan clung to him. They sat for hours in each other's embrace, until the sun had set and everyone had gone to bed. The farm was dark and the rain poured unceasingly. The lights were off, and Morgan was relaxed in Will's arms, when a tune began playing on Jade's radio in the other room. The slow, soothing melody of Willie Nelson's "Stardust" drifted out onto the porch. Will smiled and got up. "May I have this dance?" he asked warmly. Morgan grinned and nodded. Will took her hand and led her through the back door out into the torrential downpour. He held Morgan close, and she laid her head on his chest, and slowly they danced in the rain. They didn't care that they couldn't hear the radio any more, or that they were soaked to the bone. They danced all night, until the water had ceased running down their skin and stars had risen to take the raindrops' place.


	12. Lookin' Good

A/N: Hey y'all, I'm back (finally!) No excuses this time...I've just been really lazy. A big thanks to Captain Jade for kicking me in the butt to make me write. You go girl!Anyway, back to some humor for this chapter. 

Chapter 12, Lookin' Good

"Come on, Morgan, wake up! It's 9:00 in the morning! _Pleaseeeee??_" Jade pleaded. When Morgan didn't do anything but roll over in bed and snuggle deeper into the sheets, Jade got exasperated. She decided to go to plan B. She picked up a big pillow and whacked Morgan as hard as shecould over the head.

"Arrgggggghhhhhh!" Morgan's arms appeared from under the covers, trying to find her clock on the nightstand. The clock disappeared for a moment, then there was a loud groan. Morgan emerged out of the cocoon of sheets rubbing her eyes. She set the clock back on the stand and got out of bed. "Good riddance," she muttered. Jade made for the door. "Yeah, you get dressed, girl...I just remembered we hafta go to town today." Morgan looked from putting on her slippers. "Wha? Why?" she asked. Jade answered, "Because we have a rodeo on Saturday and the guys don't have anything decent to wear to it!" She winked. Morgan smiled and winked back. "Besides, I need to get some rosin for my bull rope." Upon saying this Jade exited the room.

"Umm, Jade, not to question yer ability or nothin', but are you sure ye know how to drive this thing?" Jack asked flippantly. "Yes, I do, and no back seat driving, or I'll mutiny!" she answered. "Ah, now, ye wouldn't do that to beautiful me, would you, poppet?" Jack said and leaning forward draped his arm over her shoulder. "Try me!" Jade growled venomously. Jack raised his hands in an alarmed fashion and sat back in his seat. Will snickered, earning himself a glare from Jack. Morgan, in the front seat, just smiled. They were backing into a parking space at one of their favorite stores, and Jade had just about five inches of room between her and a big dually in the next slot. "Almost there...nearly...OK." Everybody piled (carefully) out of the truck and walked across the lot to the store. It was a western shop; it sold tack, feed, clothes, equine supplements, camouflage, and just about anything you would need if you were in the horse business. Jade, Morgan, Jack, and Will entered and immediately Jade led them to the Wrangler jeans rack. "The first thing we need to do is to get y'all some jeans and a decent shirts." She looked Jack and Will up and down. "Turn around," she instructed. They complied somewhat reluctantly. Jade looked some more. Morgan giggled as she saw Will's face steadily going red. Jade turned around to the rack and began grabbing jeans off of it. "It's okie-dokie to turn around now, guys," she muttered. The pirates did so, Will with a slight sigh of relief. Jack gave him an odd look, then shook his head. Jade separated the heap of jeans she had picked out into two piles, then handed one pile to Jack and the other to Will. "Here, go try these on. If you find one that fits, set it aside." Jack and Will stared down at the pants dubiously, but went to the dressing rooms anyway. Morgan went off to look at the newest saddles, and Jade went to pick out some rosin for her bull rope. She had just picked up a bag when Jack hollered her name. She walked up. "What?" she asked through the door. "Ow do you fasten 'em?" "You pull the zipper up and then button them," she replied. "Oh, you mean that thing in the back?" Jade snorted with laughter. "The zipper goes in the front, Jack! Turn them around." "Aha, so that's why they didn't fit right!" Jade stopped for a second to examine the mental picture, then giggled and walked over to Will's door. "How you doin', Will?" There came a muffled answer, "Fine, I think I found a pair." "Try them on and come out so I can see." "OK," he answered. A few seconds later he came out just as Morgan walked up. Morgan took one look, then both the girls doubled over laughing. Will's jeans were ten inches too long, and so baggy that the legs looked like potato sacks. He looked at the girls oddly. "What's wrong?" he asked. Jade howled. Morgan giggled even harder, then said, "We've got a lot of work to do!"

An hour later, Jade and Morgan were standing together in front of a mirror. "Wow," stated Morgan. "Double Wow!" replied Jade. "Triple Wow with cream, sugar, and cherries on top," corrected Morgan. Jade nodded. "Can't argue with that! We did it." They moved aside to let the boys see themselves. Jack and Will took one look and gasped. There was no question about it...they looked _good._ Jack was dressed in a dark brown pair of Wrangler jeans, with his old boots, a suede skin-tight shirt, a belt with a big bronze buckle, complete with a dark tan ankle-length duster and a new bandana in his hair. Will, however, was decked in snakeskin Laredo boots, black Wranglers and a belt with a gold, black, and silver buckle, studded with rubies; an beige-checked button up cowboy shirt with fringe around the chest and back and down the arms, and a black neck-kerchief and beige Beaver skin hat. His hair fell around his shoulders, framing his face, and Jack had a few new additions to his braids in the form of Navajo beads. They smiled...they looked absolutely sharp. Jade whistled. Morgan walked up and circled Will, then said to Jade, "I think we may have gone and outdone ourselves, girl!" She reached up and gave Will a kiss on the cheek, then they went to pay for the clothes. Jack looked at Jade. "The eunuch's got it bad, don't he?" Jade shook her head. "You have no idea!" she said, imitating Jack in the deleted scenes of the movie. "Come on, we gotta go pay for these." They joined Morgan at the counter. When they saw the total price, Jade leaned over to Morgan and whispered so the clerk wouldn't hear; "I better win a lot of money this weekend!"


	13. Saturday Mornin'

Saturday morning

"You ready yet, Jack?"

"Hold yer horses, will ya'?"

"Well, hurry up, the rodeo starts at 9:00! That's in an hour and a half!"

"Shut up, Morgan!"

"We're gonna be late!"

After the mayhem had settled down, and everyone was dressed, fed, and had their stuff loaded into Jade's truck, Morgan, Jack, and Will walked over to the barn. Will grabbed a halter off of a rack, and Morgan got two. Jack scooped up some feed and dumped into a bucket, then hauled it off to where Jade was hooking up her three-horse trailer. He put it in the truck-bed. As he was doing that, Morgan and Will had haltered Pepper, Bo, and another mare named Jet that Morgan had bought the day before. Will walked Pepper up to the trailer, led him in, tied him, and shut the divider. Morgan did the same with Jet, and then Bo. Finally, when all the horses were loaded, and Jade had conducted her routine light check ("Gimme a left...gimme a right...brakes...K, let's scram!) they were in the truck and on their way to the rodeo.

"Whew," said Will. "Do you have to do all of this every time you go to a rodeo?" Jade and Morgan nodded.

"Yep, and that's about every weekend! You get used to it the more you go," said Jade. Will whistled and shook his head. Meanwhile, Jack was busy trying to figure out how to work Jade's headphones.

"I wonder," he mumbled, "what happens if you do _this._" He pressed the PLAY button, and the "Pirates of the Caribbean" soundtrack began to play. "Hmmm," Jack said. "Seems like I should know this song...sounds kinda familiar; aye, Will?" He let Will listen for a second.

"Mm, hmm," Will said. "You know, it kind of reminds you of a chase, doesn't it? That _du-du-du dun, du-du-du dun, du-du-du dun-dun-dun dun, _that sounds almost like a battle." Jade and Morgan looked at each other, smiling at how close to the truth the pirates were. They continued discussing music until they arrived at the rodeo grounds. There was a teenage boy at the gate collecting gate fees. Jade rolled down her window.

"Heeey, Jade! Been a while, ain't it? How's the rest of the crew doing?" the boy asked.

"Fine, Bud, just fine. How's all the guys up here doing?"

"Awww, not too bad. We got us some new bulls. There's one big black one that nobody's ridden yet...we're all kinda skeered, to tell you the truth. He keeps coming at everyone with those big horns...even Slick got tossed off. Didn't make it 'til the four second mark." Jade whistled appreciatively.

"Sounds like one heck of a demon. Maybe I should try him," she mused. Bud looked doubtful, but didn't say anything. Jade could tell he didn't think she could ride him. That didn't bother her a bit; she just smiled and gave him the money for the fee, then drove off to find a parking spot.

"OK, Morgan; you, Will, and Jack unload and tack up the horses while I go up and enter us in some events." Morgan smiled.

"Enter the guys in the fourth through sixth grade barrel racing!" she teased. Jade snorted. "What?" Morgan asked. "That's about their skill level." Jade shook her head and went off towards the announcer's stand. She was halfway there when she looked over at a big stock trailer. She squinted to see it. It was unloading goats, sheep, calves, steers, and bulls. She turned in her tracks and strolled to the holding pens. She skipped over the other livestock and finally stopped in front of the large bullpen. A big black bull was mixed in among the Hereford, Angus, and Brahman. He had long horns and was charging the fence every time someone came up too close. Jade gazed at him and smiled. She ambled up to some bull riders sitting in the bed of a nearby truck. They looked up and tipped their hats.

"How ya' doing, Miss Bull-Riding-Show-Us-All-Up Jade? Been riding any bulls lately?" a tall blond haired boy asked, grinning. She snickered and replied in a joking manner,

"Nope, haven't been riding any bulls, and apparently I'm doing a lot better than you, Slick! Heard old 'Blackie' over there made a fool of you by the end of four seconds!" She nodded towards the black bull. Slick's grin disappeared, then was quickly replaced by a scowl while his friend hastily turned his snort of laughter into a cough. Jade winked.

"That bull ain't right...he's hopped up on extra energy sweet-feed or something!" Slick said, shaking his head. His friend smirked and replied,

"No, man...you've just got a briar up your pants because you got bucked off for the first time this season!"

"Shut up, Tex!" said Slick quickly. "You don't have to go advertising the fact, do you?" Jade and Tex both laughed. Slick recovered quickly and retorted, "Well, I bet neither one of you could do any better!" he challenged. Jade stopped laughing and her eyes twinkled mischievously. She was silent for a moment, then asked innocently,

"Would you care to make a slight wager on that?" Slick and Tex's eyes both widened.

"Yer not serious?" asked Tex. Jade nodded. The bull riders looked dubious. Jade decided it was time to play dirty.

"Whassamadderwitchchooguys? The way you're acting, you'd think you didn't want to take the wager." She stopped right there to watch them squirm a little, then continued in a slow drawl, "Oh, I know what's the matter with y'all! You just don't want to lose to a girl in front of all your friends!" Tex and Slick looked up furiously at these words. Jade smiled...she'd said the magic words.

"What are you talking about, 'Lose to a girl?'" Slick half shouted. "You couldn't beat us if you tried!"

"So, you'll take the bet?" Jade asked. Slick and Tex jumped out of the truck; Tex grabbed his wallet and after rummaging in it, pulled out a crisp twenty-dollar bill and waved it in her face.

"You see that Jade? I won that in the roping competition in Galveston last month! I haven't even broken it for change yet! It's yours if you ride that bull, and I'll even pay your entry fee!"

"And if I buck off?" Tex and Slick put their heads together for a moment, then Slick said,

"If you buck off, I don't pay your entry fee, I keep my twenty bucks, _and_ you have to clean mine and Tex's dirty tack after the rodeo!" Jade considered for a moment, then said,

"Deal, partner!" She spit in her palm, then held it out. Slick spit in his too, and they shook hands. They tipped their hats, then Jade turned her back on them and continued on to the announcer's stand, smiling from ear to ear.


	14. The Rodeo

A/N: Guess what, guys? LAST CHAPTER! Whether or not you get a sequel depends on how well you liked this one, so get with the reviews. Oh yeah, as it's the end chapter, this one's much longer than the others.

Chapter 14, The Rodeo

"Contestant number forty-six, on deck! Number forty-seven, in the hole!" blared the PA system. Jade smiled and said to Jack,

"Forty-seven, that's you buddy!" The event was open Pole Bending. Jack nodded nervously, flipping his beads all around. He was riding Bo again, for which he was grateful; Pepper was giving Will fits. Morgan was mounted on her new mare, and Jade was sitting on the fence watching Number Forty-Six make her run. Jack watched as she turned her horse around the last pole and flew towards the finish line.

"Time for Mrs. Spencer, 22.569." The crowd cheered at the announcement. Will raised his eyebrows and looked to Morgan.

"That's a pretty good time, isn't it?" he inquired. Jade got down from the fence.

"Yep, it is a good time…but remember Jack, you're just riding to have fun, not to win." She grasped Bo's bridle and led them into the entrance alley. The announcer called Jack's number, and Jade turned to him. "Don't forget to weave in and out of each of the six poles, and don't fall off, either. Now scat!" She let go of the bridle and slapped Bo on the rump just as Jack clucked to him. The horse jumped forward into a lope. They got all the way to the end of the line of poles before Jack remembered that they were supposed to turn. He pulled hard on the left rein. Bo dug into the ground and wheeled around the pole, nearly unseating Jack.

"Good thing you gave him your Magic Seat!" Morgan commented to Jade. Jack was now weaving through the poles at a brisk trot. He reached the end pole (pole #1 in the line), turned it, then weaved his way back to the opposite end. Upon reaching pole #6, Bo flew around it and with Jack's encouraging kick, burst into a gallop. They broke the timer at a 33 flat. Jade ran out to them; Jack was flouncing around in the saddle, smiling.

"That was _fun!_" he exclaimed. Will grinned and replied,

"Good. It look's like fun. Uh oh, I'm up." The announcer called Will's name, and he entered the arena. Jade, Jack, and Morgan lined up on the fence to watch. His run went much the same way as Jack's, and he crossed the line in a 34.121.

"Not bad guys, not bad at all!" Morgan congratulated the pirates. "I have to make my run after these next two people. The four of them settled down to watch. The first woman had a terrible run, knocking over pole #3 and earning a five second penalty; but the next man's pattern was smooth, and he broke the timer triumphantly.

"Aaaand, the time for contestant number fifty is…21.255! And he is in the lead" rattled the PA system. "Contestant number fifty-one, ride when ready!" Morgan smiled and strapped her hat securely onto her head.

"That's me, guys! Wish me luck." She guided her mare into the alleyway. "Alright," she said to herself. "We need a twenty one point two or better to win." The horse snorted and reared up as a cowboy opened the gate. Her hooves touched down, then they took off in a dead run down to the end of the poles. The reached the last pole and Morgan hollered, "Whoa!" and the horse wrapped herself around the pole. They began weaving at a fast lope, and wrapping the other end pole, weaved back through at a slow gallop. Morgan shouted "Whoa!" again, and the wheeled around the last pole and thundered home, Morgan kicking and clucking every step of the way. They crossed the timer and pulled up, Morgan looking anxiously towards the press box.

"Twenty flat, folks, 20.000! And this little lady is your Open Pole Bending champion! Please pick up your first place check at the awards booth."

"One hundred bucks, wow!" said Morgan, pocketing her winnings. "That takes of the share I owed on the expensive clothes!" Jade smiled and replied,

"Yea, but the only reason you won was because I wasn't riding! Now in the bull riding, that'll be a different story." Tex and Slick, who were sitting close by behind the bucking shoots, scowled at her. Bud, however (who had finished his gate-fee duties), walked up to her and smiled. He whispered in Jade's ear,

"Most of the guys (he indicated the other ten bull riders gearing up around them) don't think you'll make it past the two-second mark; but just so's you know, I'm pulling for you. In fact, (he looked around edgily and lowered his voice) I've got a bet on with Slick…ten bucks to me if you ride that bull. Jade," he said in an imploring voice, "_please _don't buck off…_I haven't got $10!!!" _and so saying, hurried off. Jade snorted and Morgan began cackling. They returned to their job of getting ready for the bull riding. Jack and Will had both been talking into riding a bull (largely by Jade's effort) and all four of them were wearing protective vests and spurs. The announcer's mike switched on and they all looked up to listen.

"Open Bull Riding, event number twenty-two, and we have sixteen entries. First to go will be number forty-seven." Jack stood up and swaggered over to the respective shoot. He peered over the side to see what he had drawn and saw a small brown steer, standing calmly and looking extremely innocent and well-behaved.

"Psshaw! Let me show y'all how to do this, savvy?" Jack swung over into the shoot and settled onto the back of the steer. A big man waited until Jack slid his hand through the handle on the bull rope, then pulled the rope taught. Jack secured it around his hand and winked. A cowboy outside the shoot said,

"Nod when you're ready," so Jack nodded. The cowboy opened the gate and the steer shot out, bucking for all he was worth. Jack lost his balance and looked at the ground. No sooner than he did, than the ground rushed up to meet him and he landed face down in the dirt.

"NO SCORE!" blared the announcer. Jack got up and dusted himself off, slightly disgusted, then went to sit on the fence.

"Better luck next time," the PA said, then called, "Number fifty-one, you're up; Mr. Will Turner, on deck." Morgan walked over to the shoot and settled in. She had drawn a black and white bull with no horns. She wrapped in, then nodded, and out they came. She had a pretty good seat on the bull until he decided to spin; then she lost her hold and fell off.

"Down in the well at 6.9 seconds. Close, but not the 8 seconds we're looking for. Next, Mr. Will Turner." The announcer had barely finished before Will was down in the shoot, wrapped in and nodding. A cowboy pulled the gate open, and Will came out on a Charleigh bull. He was bucking straight down the pen, and not very hard; Will was going along easily. Will got brave and started spurring a little, and the bull bucked harder. Morgan looked close and saw that Will was smiling as he rode the bucks through. The 8- second buzzer sounded, and Will pulled the tail of his rope free from his hand and jumped off.

"Great Will, GREAT! You rode him!" called Jade. He was positively bouncing with adrenaline.

"That was so neat!!" he said. "What was my score?"

"Sixty-eight point five…they just announced it," answered Jack. Will hopped up on the fence with Morgan and Jack and watched as six more cowboys went, Tex and Slick among them. Slick rode his bull and received a score of seventy-five; then it was Jade's turn. Some cowboys ran 'Blackie' up in the shoot, and put the rope on him. As she walked by, Tex held up a crisp $20 bill and winked at her. She smiled and climbed into the shoot. She settled in and waited while a man pulled the rope taught. Blackie tossed his head, trying to hit her with his horns, but she just dodged and secured the rope. When she was finished, she drew a breath, raised her free hand, and nodded. The gate swung open, and Blackie reared forward as high as he could then immediately executed a bellyroll. Jade stayed right with him. He bucked again and then reared straight up, but that didn't unseat Jade either. He went into a fast spin, bucking and kicking; Jade matched his every move. He straightened out and went through some directional changes, now throwing Jade bellyrolls every which way. She didn't budge though, and spurred him like crazy. Finally the buzzer sounded, and the crowd went nuts. Jack, Will, and Morgan were all hollering. All the bull riders' eyes were popping, and Slick's jaw was hanging open. Tex muttered,

"Well, she made a fool out of us, that's for sure." Jade heard a yell of triumph from the crowd, and recognized it to be Bud's voice. She smiled, momentarily losing concentration. Blackie sensed her lack of focus and threw her a bellyroll, followed by a dive to the side. Jade slipped off of the bull and fell to the ground, but her hand was still caught in the rope.

"She's hung up!" Morgan shouted and ran out to help get her friend loose, as did Jack, Will, Bud, and about ten other cowboys. Blackie would have no part of it though, and he took off around the arena, dragging Jade with him. He tossed his head to the side, and one of the horns connected with Jade's head. Blood streamed down her face, and her eyes rolled. Morgan cursed and tried to reach the tail of the rope to pull it free, but she couldn't get it. By now, Blackie was surrounded by about twenty people all bent on slowing him down. He kicked out suddenly, and cries of pain were heard. Finally, someone managed to pull the rope loose, and Jade slipped to the ground. Blackie snorted and trotted angrily out of the pen. When the congestion cleared, Morgan, Bud, Will, Jack, and Jade all lay bloody, silent, and motionless on the ground. All the rodeo grounds went quiet.

Magic Seat: a seat used by horseback riders that fastens to the saddle and provides extra gripping power  
wrapped himself/herself: a term meaning that the horse literally wraps his/her body around the pole or barrel as he/she's turning it  
bellyrolls: when the bull jumps and bucks sideways in the air…very difficult maneuver to hand onto, even for the pro's.


End file.
